Black Hearts Ball Valentine’s Day Fashion Show

By Karen S. Schneider

Published: February 2014

The designers behind the Black Hearts Ball

Courtesy of The Black Hearts Ball

No rest for the wicked. I had barely gotten off the smudges of last night’s black eye-liner from the Ready or Hot fashion show at Aria when I met up with designers and You and Me boutique proprietors, Tim and Thom Navarro and designer Carly Schoen to talk about the Valentine’s Day Black Hearts Ball—part fashion show, part performance art, part Great Gatsby-style cocktail party. Set in the main lounge of the Minneapolis Club, the feel, says show producer Allegra Lockstadt with a laugh, “is all very blue blood. Very, ‘Yes, thank you, I will have a dry Martini.’”

And yet, the Valentine’s Day ball is at its black heart the exact opposite of blue blood. Aimed partly at filling a void Lockstadt says was created when MN Fashion decided to take a break this year from its producing its popular Voltage: Fashion show at First Avenue, the inaugural Black Hearts Ball features the work of seven local designers who are eager to connect with the community over their new looks and a little opera. “This will be an interactive experience,’” says Tim. “There is no catwalk, no risers. We want the models to mingle with the audience.”

Don’t worry; no one will be dragged center-stage to sing a Verdi aria or try on a leather bustier (though come to think of it the bustier sounds like fun; if there is one, I volunteer.) The featured designers will, however, happily hang out and chat. “We’re nice people! We want to talk to the women we are dressing,” says Carly. “The women of this city are our inspiration--strong, independent women. That’s who we want to dress.” Thom seconds that thought: “The more daring you are with clothes, the more confident you are in life.”

Get your ticket for Valentine’s Day glitz, glam and derring-do before they are all gone.

About The TC Style Blog

From boutiques to salons to your own closet, TC Style will bring you expertly curated tips and tricks from the local shopping, fashion, beauty, wellness, and design scene. Odds are if you put it on, take it off, hang it up, or cut it out, we’ll tell you how to get it. Most importantly, we know that when you look good and feel good, you do good—the beautiful life is about much more than the material world. (But that won’t stop us from loving it.)